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Edited by:  Fern Sidman

In a show of solidarity, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a high-profile visit to the country’s troops engaged in the conflict in northern Gaza on Monday. As was reported by the New York Post, the purpose of the visit was to receive a briefing on Hamas’ operations, particularly its presence “in the heart of civilian areas.” Netanyahu’s visit near the frontlines was marked by a display of Israel’s military achievements in Gaza, focusing on the destruction of almost all northern battalions belonging to the Hamas terrorist group.

This marks Netanyahu’s second known visit to Gaza since the conflict began, as pressure mounts from the United States to de-escalate the situation.

In footage released by the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu is seen arriving in Gaza via helicopter, followed by being driven to the location where the troops were stationed. According to the Post report, during his time with the soldiers, he engaged in handshakes and conversations, delivering reassurances about their safety and emphasizing that the conflict would persist until Hamas was entirely eliminated.

Netanyahu’s remarks underscored Israel’s unwavering commitment to the military campaign. “First thing — we will do everything to keep you safe,” Netanyahu asserted, the Post report indicated. “Secondly, we are not stopping. Anyone who talks about stopping — no. We’re not stopping. This war is going to go until the end. Until we finish them. No less than that,” he added. The prime minister expressed pride in the nation’s soldiers, stating, “The nation of Israel is proud of its heroic warriors. I’m proud of you.”

The prime minister’s office provided additional details, indicating that Netanyahu extended gratitude to the soldiers for their dedication and sacrifice, noting that they have been away from their families for over two months, as was indicated in the Post report. He emphasized that their commitment was the “key to victory.”

In addition to interacting with the troops, Netanyahu received briefings on the weaponry and tunnel systems discovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) within civilian structures in Gaza. The information in the Post report said that over the weekend, the IDF released alarming images of their findings, which included explosive belts designed for children and hidden warheads within toy chests at a Gaza kindergarten.

The explosive belts intended for children were uncovered in a Hamas compound located near schools, a mosque, and a medical facility. As was noted in the Post report, another significant revelation came from a raid at a Gaza school, repurposed as a shelter for Palestinian refugees, where rows of grenades, RPG missiles, explosives, and firearm ammunition were discovered.

These revelations provide a glimpse into the challenges faced by the IDF as they navigate a complex battleground where civilian infrastructure is exploited for military purposes by Hamas. The images released underscore the gravity of the situation and the potential risks posed to civilians, emphasizing the intricate nature of the conflict in the region.

In an op-ed piece penned by Netanyahu that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, the prime minister said, “In destroying Hamas, Israel will continue to act in full compliance with international law. This is especially challenging because an integral part of Hamas’s strategy is to use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas places its terrorist infrastructure inside and underneath homes, hospitals, mosques, schools and other civilian sites, deliberately putting the Palestinian population at risk.”

In response to increasing pressure from the White House to bring this war to a close, Netanyahu also said in his WSJ op-ed piece, “Israel does its best to minimize civilian casualties by dropping leaflets, sending text messages and using other means to warn Gazans to get out of harm’s way. Hamas by contrast does its utmost to keep Palestinians in harm’s way—often at gunpoint.”

Issuing a cautionary declaration to the powers that be in Washington and around the world, Netanyahu added, “Unjustly blaming Israel for these casualties will only encourage Hamas and other terror organizations around the world to use human shields. To render this cruel and cynical strategy ineffective, the international community must place the blame for these casualties squarely on Hamas. It must recognize that Israel is fighting the bigger battle of the civilized world against barbarism.”

Recent tensions between Washington and Jerusalem have emanated from the quandary of precisely who will rule Gaza in the aftermath of Israel’s war to completely eradicate all vestiges of Hamas terrorism in the Gaza Strip and beyond. The Biden administration has been promoting the idea of a Mahmoud Abbas led Fatah government taking the helm while Netanyahu has offered his pushback, saying that terrorism would continue to flourish under this proposed Palestinian government.

The Israeli prime minister touched on this point in his WSJ opinion piece when he wrote:  “The expectation that the Palestinian Authority will demilitarize Gaza is a pipe dream. It currently funds and glorifies terrorism in Judea and Samaria and educates Palestinian children to seek the destruction of Israel. Not surprisingly it has shown neither the capability nor the will to demilitarize Gaza. It failed to do so before Hamas booted it out of the territory in 2007, and it has failed to do so in the territories under its control today. For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza.”

As to his views on the Palestinian Authority president himself, Netanyahu did not equivocate when he wrote, “Mahmoud Abbas can’t even bring himself to condemn the Oct. 7 atrocities. Several of his ministers deny that the murders and rapes happened or accuse Israel of perpetrating these horrific crimes against its own people. Another threatened that a similar attack would be carried out in Judea and Samaria.”

Netanyahu also said in his WSJ piece that in order for terrorism to be completely vanquished in Gaza, that it will have to be “deradicalized.”  He wrote: “Schools must teach children to cherish life rather than death, and imams must cease to preach for the murder of Jews. Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it.”

The prime minister expressed optimism in terms of the success of the deradicalization process, when he wrote: “More recently, since the 9/11 attacks, visionary Arab leaders in the Gulf have led efforts to deradicalize their societies and transform their countries. Israel has since forged the historic Abraham Accords and today enjoys peace agreements with six Arab states. Such a cultural transformation will be possible in Gaza only among Palestinians who don’t seek the destruction of Israel.”

He added that, “Once Hamas is destroyed, Gaza is demilitarized and Palestinian society begins a deradicalization process, Gaza can be rebuilt and the prospects of a broader peace in the Middle East will become a reality.”

In a pivotal moment of diplomatic engagement, Ron Dermer, a close adviser to Israel’s Prime Minister and a member of the country’s war cabinet, met with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Tuesday afternoon, as was reported by the New York Times.

These discussions occurred against a backdrop of notable disparities between the United States and Israel regarding the scope and timetable of Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, as well as plans for the future governance of Gaza. The NYT report indicated that the US has been exerting increasing pressure on Israel to diminish the intensity of the war and minimize harm to Gazan civilians. In contrast, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has affirmed that Israel is gearing up for a new phase of the conflict, emphasizing the commitment to persist until all objectives are met, as was previously noted in this article.

The focus of the talks in Washington revolved around the next phase of the conflict and the post-war scenario in Gaza, as outlined by Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, the NYT report said.

Ron Dermer, currently serving as Israel’s minister for strategic affairs and a Likud member, boasts extensive ties to Washington, having previously served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States.

Dermer, part of an emergency five-member war cabinet established after the Hamas attacks on southern Israel in October, holds the role of an “observer” member without voting power, as was noted in the NYT report.  Recently entrusted by Netanyahu, alongside Tzachi Hanegbi, the prime minister’s national security adviser, Dermer is tasked with planning for postwar Gaza.

President Biden’s proposal for Gaza’s eventual reunification with the West Bank under a revamped Palestinian Authority was expected to be a key point of discussion. The long-term goal involves establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to the NYT report.

Since the cessation of a weeklong ceasefire in late November, progress towards a new truce has been sluggish. Reports suggest an Egyptian proposal is circulating in the region, allowing for further exchanges of hostages and prisoners as a step toward a permanent ceasefire, the NYT report said.  However, anonymous diplomats caution that neither side appears close to agreeing to such a proposal, highlighting the delicate and complex nature of the ongoing negotiations.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu visited IDF Intelligence Unit 9900 in the Kirya in Tel Aviv, as was reported by Israel National News.

At the start of the visit, the Prime Minister was briefed by Unit Commander Brig.-Gen. S on the main points of the visual intelligence efforts in the fighting in Gaza, the intelligence gathering technologies of the various strata, and the international cooperation in this field. Brig.-Gen. S also reviewed how the information gathered by soldiers in the field is used.

INN also reported that Netanyahu also observed the system’s artificial intelligence capabilities via augmented reality visors that present a three-dimensional view of the Gaza Strip.

The Prime Minister then visited the “Space Center”, which leads the intelligence gathering effort via satellites.

Netanyahu said at the conclusion of the visit: “We have soldiers on the ground, sometimes underground, and we have eyes in the sky.”

“We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will reach you. We are continuing the war, and are intensifying the fighting in the southern Gaza Strip and other places. “We will fight to the end, with the help of the most advanced technology,” he added.

Also on Tuesday, INN reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi  Halevi visited soldiers engaged in combat in Gaza and stated that the war will last for “many more months.”

“I have just left the Gaza Strip, where I met with the troops in the northern part of the Strip. I witnessed up close the forces fighting, operating, and achieving the objectives we set for them. The IDF is close to completing the dismantling of Hamas’ battalions in the northern Gaza Strip. We have killed many terrorists and Hamas commanders, some surrendered to our forces and hundreds were taken prisoner. We have destroyed underground infrastructure and large quantities of weapons. In this dense, urban area, where terrorists dress as civilians, it cannot be said that we killed them all. It seems likely that we will still encounter fighters in this area. We will continue to strike them and pursue them in various ways,” Halevi said after leaving Gaza, as was reported by INN.

He said that the IDF is currently “concentrating our efforts in the southern Gaza Strip – Khan Yunis, the central camps, and further. We will continue to both preserve and intensify our achievements in northern Gaza. We will not allow the return to the pre-October 7th reality, and we will not allow such an event to be repeated. The IAF is striking continuously. A building is struck if it is an enemy target, a building is struck if a threat is posed to our forces from inside.

The IDF is focused and precise in its actions. Everywhere our forces operate, they are accompanied by heavy fire from the air, sea, and land. In every action where the forces require fire support, they receive the necessary and optimal support. The ground forces’ operations allow the destruction of terror infrastructures that cannot be achieved from the air. These operations lead to close-quarter combat with many terrorists, and their elimination. We use our resources in a professional, sophisticated, and calculated way, and are prepared for the continuation of the fighting in all sectors. This war’s objectives are essential and not simple to achieve.”

He also said that “the war will continue for many more months, and we will operate in various ways – so that the achievement will be preserved over time. There are no magic solutions or shortcuts in the fundamental dismantling of a terrorist organization, except persistent and determined fighting, and we are very, very determined. We will also get to the Hamas leadership, whether it takes a week or months. Thanks to spirit and professionalism, we will get there.

He added that, “This military pressure allows the realization of the war’s objectives: the dismantling of Hamas and the return of the hostages. Our commitment to bringing the hostages home remains – we will do everything to bring them home. We are fighting a just war like no other, and like every war, it takes a heavy and painful toll. The best of our sons and daughters have fallen in the battle for the State of Israel’s security. We will ensure that they did not fall in vain.

Alongside the combat with Hamas, IDF forces continue, day and night, to thwart and mitigate terror in Judea and Samaria, and they do so with great success. Those soldiers are led by the talented Commanding Officer of the Central Command, Major General Yehuda Fuchs, who is dedicating his life to the security of the residents. Those who choose to slander him are a shame and disgrace and must be clearly condemned from every direction. The many days that have passed since October 7th raise many difficult questions. We are all obligated to provide, and will provide, answers after a thorough investigation. We will not skip over any question or lesson.”